title: API: Retrieve metadata and content of an existing zettel
role: manual
tags: #api #manual #zettelstore
syntax: zmk
back: 00001006000000 00001012000000 00001012053200 00001012054200
backward: 00001006000000 00001012000000 00001012053200 00001012054200 00001012920000
box-number: 1
copyright: (c) 2020-present by Detlef Stern <ds@zettelstore.de>
created: 20211004093206
forward: 00001006050000 00001010040100 00001012050200 00001012053400 00001012920000 00001012920800 00001012921200 00001012930500
lang: en
license: EUPL-1.2-or-later
modified: 20230807170259
published: 20230807170259
visibility: public

The [[endpoint|00001012920000]] to work with metadata and content of a specific zettel is ''/z/{ID}'', where ''{ID}'' is a placeholder for the [[zettel identifier|00001006050000]].

For example, to retrieve some data about this zettel you are currently viewing, just send a HTTP GET request to the endpoint ''/z/00001012053300''[^If [[authentication is enabled|00001010040100]], you must include the a valid [[access token|00001012050200]] in the ''Authorization'' header].
```{="sh"}
# curl 'http://127.0.0.1:23123/z/00001012053300'
The [[endpoint|00001012920000]] to work with metadata and content of a specific zettel is ''/z/{ID}'', where ''{ID}'' is a placeholder for the [[zettel identifier|00001006050000]].

For example, to retrieve some data about this zettel you are currently viewing, just send a HTTP GET request to the endpoint ''/z/00001012053300''[^If [[authentication is enabled|00001010040100]], you must include the a valid [[access token|00001012050200]] in the ''Authorization'' header].

```sh
...
```
Optionally, you may provide which parts of the zettel you are requesting.
In this case, add an additional query parameter ''part=PART''.
Valid values for [[''PART''|00001012920800]] are ""zettel"", ""[[meta|00001012053400]]"", and ""content"" (the default value).
```{="sh"}
# curl 'http://127.0.0.1:23123/z/00001012053300?part=zettel'
title: API: Retrieve metadata and content of an existing zettel
role: manual
tags: #api #manual #zettelstore
syntax: zmk

The [[endpoint|00001012920000]] to work with metadata and content of a specific zettel is ''/z/{ID}'', where ''{ID}'' is a placeholder for the [[zettel identifier|00001006050000]].

For example, to retrieve some data about this zettel you are currently viewing, just send a HTTP GET request to the endpoint
...
```
=== Data output
Alternatively, you may retrieve the zettel as a parseable object / a [[symbolic expression|00001012930500]] by providing the query parameter ''enc=data'':
```{="sh"}
# curl 'http://127.0.0.1:23123/z/00001012053300?enc=data&part=zettel'
(zettel (meta (back "00001006000000 00001012000000 00001012053200 00001012054400") (backward "00001006000000 00001012000000 00001012053200 00001012054400 00001012920000") (box-number "1") (created "20211004093206") (forward "00001006020000 00001006050000 00001010040100 00001012050200 00001012053400 00001012920000 00001012920800 00001012921200 00001012930500") (modified "20230703174152") (published "20230703174152") (role "manual") (syntax "zmk") (tags "#api #manual #zettelstore") (title "API: Retrieve metadata and content of an existing zettel")) (rights 62) (encoding "") (content "The [[endpoint|00001012920000]] to work with metadata and content of a specific zettel is ''/z/{ID}'', where ''{ID}'' is a placeholder for the [[zettel identifier|00001006050000]].\n\nFor example, ...
```
If you print the result a little bit nicer, you will see its structure:
```
(zettel (meta (back "00001006000000 00001012000000 00001012053200 00001012054400")
              (backward "00001006000000 00001012000000 00001012053200 00001012054400 00001012920000")
              (box-number "1")
              (created "20211004093206")
              (forward "00001006020000 00001006050000 00001010040100 00001012050200 00001012053400 00001012920000 00001012920800 00001012921200 00001012930500")
              (modified "20230703174152")
              (published "20230703174152")
              (role "manual")
              (syntax "zmk")
              (tags "#api #manual #zettelstore")
              (title "API: Retrieve metadata and content of an existing zettel"))
        (rights 62)
        (encoding "")
        (content "The [[endpoint|00001012920000]] to work with metadata and content of a specific zettel is ''/z/{ID}'', where ''{ID}'' is a placeholder for the [[zettel identifier|00001006050000]].\n\nFor example, ...
```
* The result is a list, starting with the symbol ''zettel''.
* Then, some key/value pairs are following, also nested.
* Nested in ''meta'' are the metadata, each as a key/value pair.
* ''rights'' specifies the [[access rights|00001012921200]] the user has for this zettel.
* ''"encoding"'' states how the content is encoded.
  Currently, only two values are allowed: the empty string (''""'') that specifies an empty encoding, and the string ''"base64"'' that specifies the [[standard Base64 encoding|https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4648.txt]].
* The zettel contents is stored as a value of the key ''content''.
  Typically, text content is not encoded, and binary content is encoded via Base64.
=== HTTP Status codes
; ''200''
: Retrieval was successful, the body contains an appropriate data value.
; ''204''
: Request was valid, but there is no data to be returned.
Most likely, you specified the query parameter ''part=content'', but the zettel does not contain any content.
; ''400''
: Request was not valid.\
There are several reasons for this.
Maybe the [[zettel identifier|00001006050000]] did not consists of exactly 14 digits.
; ''403''
: You are not allowed to retrieve data of the given zettel.
; ''404''
: Zettel not found.
You probably used a zettel identifier that is not used in the Zettelstore.